Georgian Protesters Try to Storm the Capital's President's Residence
Police in the Caucasian nation have confronted with opposition demonstrators trying to storm the presidential palace in the capital, Tbilisi.
Security forces deployed high-pressure water jets and pepper spray to scatter the protesters.
The Caucasus nation has been in crisis since the governing incumbent party claimed victory in last year's parliamentary election, which the EU-supporting opposition says was fraudulent. Following that, the government has halted negotiations on joining the EU.
The demonstration occurred on the identical day as municipal polls, which the protest groups is largely abstaining from following a government repression. A protest leader had earlier demanded leaders of the Georgian Dream party to be arrested.
Displaying Georgian and European Union banners, tens of thousands of protesters proceeded in downtown Tbilisi on Saturday.
One of the organisers, opera singer the protest leader, announced a statement encouraging the staff of the interior ministry to obey the demands of the public and to without delay arrest six high-ranking members from the Georgian Dream party.
Protesters then advanced toward the presidential palace and tried to invade the compound, prompting security forces to use chemical irritants.
The demonstration comes after a repressive measures on protesters, independent media and political opposition in recent months, with most of the leaders of the Western-aligned dissent now behind bars.
